After years of pushing for 'secure by default' web sites, Google will identify insecure sites in the Chrome browser beginning mid-Summer.

July is shaping up to be a big month for Google. Earlier this month, the company announced its Speed Update set to roll out in July, and today announced it will then also mark all sites that have not migrated to HTTPS as “not secure.”

This move will coincide with the release of Chrome 68 and will look like this in a user’s browser:

HTTPS warning in Chrome 68

Google has been pushing webmasters to make the change to non-secure web sites a for years now – including hinting at small rankingsboost to further incentivize the shift. The campaign has proved successful. According to their blog post:

Over 68% of Chrome traffic on both Android and Windows is now protected

Over 78% of Chrome traffic on both Chrome OS and Mac is now protected

81 of the top 100 sites on the web use HTTPS by default

Depending upon the size of a site and scope of the project, a migration from HTTP to HTTPS can be quite an undertaking. Check out the resources below for in depth guides to making this change on your or your client’s sites, along with resources for validation and dealing with mixed content issues.

About The Author

Michelle Robbins, former SVP Content & Marketing Technology, overseeing editorial direction as Editor in Chief for Third Door Media's digital publications, Search Engine Land, Marketing Land and MarTech Today, directing a full-time staff of reporters and editors managing contributed content. She was responsible for developing the content strategy across all properties and aligning those initiatives with the programming and audience goals for Third Door Media's two leading marketing conference series, Search Marketing Expo and The MarTech Conference. In addition, Michelle oversaw information technology operations, directing the marketing technology department.
An experienced domestic and international keynote and featured speaker, she enjoys connecting with the community at SMX, MarTech and other industry events. Connect online with Michelle on Twitter @MichelleRobbins, and Linkedin.